2019 "Best of" Annuals

Best of Show – Dahlia ‘City Lights™ Purple’ from Selecta

Dark foliage and flowers make a dramatic statement in the garden. Dark purple foliage combines with well with dark purple flowers with a very rich color. Growth habit has excellent uniformity with upright plants that does not flop despite overhead irrigation. Plants have strong flower power and are favorites of the bees.

Best Novelty – Begonia T-REX™ Ruby Slippers from Terranova

Huge red leaves have silvery edges that make a great contrast for color and texture with other plants in the garden. Grown primarily for the foliage, it would make a very eye-catching plant for areas with dry shade and can be used in either the ground or containers.

Best New Variety – Petunia ‘Headliner™ Dark Saturn from Selecta

Unique flower color was very impressive with a bold soft creamy yellow and a dark star shaped eye. Plants had strong vigor and enveloped the container in a uniform blanket of blooms. Plants and flowers held up well in the heat.

Angelonia - ‘Carita™ Purple’ from Syngenta Flowers

All plants had superior overall appearance due to a very uniform growth habit and abundant blooms. The deep purple flowers were very prolific and were quite showy even through the hottest part of the summer.

Bacopa – ‘Betty® White’ from Green Fuse Botanicals

Plants had exceptional vigor and dark green foliage that cascaded over the side of the container. White flowers were abundant and made a nice contrast with the dark foliage. The trailing habit works great in containers. Flowering continued the entire season.

Begonia (shade) – ‘BK Collection Vermillion Red’ from Beekenkamp

The overall appearance was striking all through the season with a very intense, rich shade of red and abundant blooms. In addition to the prolific flowering, blooms were double which greatly added to the overall show. Plants had dark green foliage and were very uniform.

Begonia (tuberous) – ‘Illumination® Apricot Shades’ from Benary+

Large bicolor blooms in soothing shades of apricot were very attractive and double. Trailing growth habit works well in containers. Plants had good vigor and very healthy.

Bidens – ‘Campfire™ Flame’ from Proven Winners

Flowers have beautiful shades of orange/red/yellow and fade to a nice rustic color. Blooms were prolific and kept a solid canopy of color all through the summer and into September. Growth habit was very uniform and the overall effect was quite striking in a container.

Begonia (sun) – ‘Tophat™ Pink’ from Syngenta Flowers

Plants had great vigor but maintained a very uniform growth habit. Flowers were also unusually large and very abundant which made them immensely popular with the bees. Plants looked great in either the ground or container and only got better looking even into the fall.

Calibrachoa – ‘Superbells® Dreamsicle Improved’ from Proven Winners

Flowers have a very good orange color that provides a nice bright appearance. Foliage complements the flower color and has a hint of a silver sheen to it. Plants are vigorous but not open which makes for an attractive growth habit.

Celosia – ‘Kelos Fire Scarlet’ from Beekenkamp

The attractive dark foliage was impressive all by itself but the abundant petite flowers were bright and made a great contrast with the foliage. Plants are vigorous and have good garden performance. Dependable performance has made this a repeat winner in 2019.

Coleus – ‘MAIN STREET Beale Street’ from Dummen Orange

A rich burgundy leaf color provides color to the garden all season long. Plant vigor is excellent while also maintaining a very uniform growth habit. Flowers were virtually non-existent. Plants looked great in both the ground and containers.

Combination – ‘Mixmasters™ Blooms of Allegiance’ from Ball FloraPlant

Combinations which are perfectly balanced, allows for greater genetic diversity in mixes. The prolific flowering from blue scaevola which contrasted nicely with the red/orange lantana and a few white Angelonia. This mix had excellent vigor and a lot of flower power with the bright colors. It looked great in a container and kept a nice growth habit.

This is a winner in previous years as well as 2019 due to impressive vigor and dependable flowering. Prolific flowering and vibrant color made for exceptional flower power. Flowers also had attractive dark stems which made a nice contrast with the bright flowers. This is definitely a great choice for a landscape plant.

Geranium (ivy) – ‘Gerainbow Red’ from Benary+

Deep red blooms were very showy and prolific. Noted for being a European style of lower with large blooms and excellent trailing growth habit. A great choice for containers due to superior heat tolerance and resistant to edema.

Geranium (zonal) – ‘Galaxy™ Watermelon’ from Ball Floraplant

Large watermelon colored flowers looked good enough to eat. The bright, bi-color flowers were very attractive with just a small splash of white for the eye. Plants had good uniformity and were covered in blooms.

Gerbera – ‘Sweet Sunset’ from Florist Holland NA

Abundant flowers and attractive orange/red color created a lot of flower power that lasted late into the season. Plants were uniform with lush green foliage.

Impatiens – ‘Beacon™ White’ from PanAmerican Seed

Snowy white flowers covered the plant canopy providing a bright splash of color for shady areas. The vigorous plants maintain controlled growth for excellent uniformity. The added bonus for the entire ‘Beacon™’ series is that they have strong resistance to Impatiens downy mildew which has devastated many Imapatiens walleriana in the past few years.

Lobelia – ‘Hot® Giant Blue’ from Westhoff

Striking shade of blue flowers and prolific blooming through the summer and late into the season set this entry apart from the rest. Plants had good vigor and growth habit.

Lantana – ‘HAVANA Sunrise’ from Dummen Orange

This plant is heat loving and has good branching, large umbels of flowers over dark green foliage. The compact growth habit with prolific very attractive multi-colored flowers with shades of pink, cream and yellow makes it outstanding. It has a very uniform growth habit and looked great in a container.

Large red flowers covered the foliage creating a nearly solid canopy of color that provided dependable blooming all season long. The foliage that was visible was a nice dark green that helped make the flower color “pop”. Plants had great vigor with and upright mounding growth habit that was very uniform.

Osteospermum – ‘Tradewinds® Lemon Zest’ from Syngenta Flowers

Yellow daisy-like flowers were bright, bold and abundant. This mid-summer bloomer amazed anybody waking by. Plants had a good symmetrical growth habit along with good vigor.

Petunia (container) – ‘Crazytunia® Tiki Torch’ from Westhoff

Flower color was exceptional with a bold and colorful combination of red, yellow and orange. Combined with strong plant vigor and abundant flowering, this entry was clearly a standout.

Petunia (ground) – ‘ColorRush™ White from Ball FloraPlant

The uniform mound of bright, white flowers was impressive all season long. Plants were vigorous but maintained a tight growth habit.

Petunia (seed) – ‘Easy Wave® Purple from PanAmerican Seed

Carpet of purple flowers created a spectacular display of color throughout the summer and into September. Blooms were large and a vibrant shade of purple. Plants made a uniform mat of flowers.

Portulaca – ‘ColorBlast Double Yellow’ from Westhoff

Double yellow flowers simulate small explosions of color and has the added benefit that the blooms stay open longer than single petal varieties. Heat loving plants were vigorous and looked great in containers.

Pentas – ‘Lucky Star® Lavender’ from PanAmerican Seed

Long lasting, soft lavender flowers were prolific and very showy. Vigor was excellent but plants maintained a very tight, compact growth habit. Blooms were also a magnet for butterflies.

Salvia – ‘Mystic Spires’ from Ball FloraPlant

Another dependable performer and past winner, it stood out again in 2019 for the abundant dark purple flowers and vigorous, upright plants. Foliage was clean and glossy. This was another bee friendly plant that was often buzzing with excitement.

Thunbergia – ‘TowerPower™ White’ from Westhoff

As the name implies, plants have impressive vigor and easily climbed the trellis in the container and spilled over onto the ground creating a tower of flowers. White blooms were attractive with a dark eye. The entire ‘TowerPower™’ series had very similar vigor and growth.

Verbena – ‘Lascar™ Black Velvet’ from Selecta

Unique black flower color and prolific blooming made this a standout from the rest. The deep black color would mix well with other colors. Plants had good vigor and uniform growth.

Vinca – ‘Soiree Kawaii Coral’ from Suntory

Tiny coral colored flowers are bright and prolific making an impressive display of color in either ground or containers. Additional features are the small white eye on the bloom and glossy green foliage. Plants stay compact all summer long with no leggy branches.

Zinnia – ‘Zesty™ Scarlet’ from Ball Ingenuity

Vibrant scarlet flowers had great flower power with the abundant flowering and uniform growth habit. Plants had excellent vigor and were disease free all season long.

Other Outstanding Plants

Digitalis ‘Pink Panther’ from American Takii

Flowers first year, compact plants with small foliage, heavily branching plants produce multiple spikes at one time and don’t require pinching, sterile flowers are long lasting, attracts pollinators, pink flowers are abundant and very attractive.

Geranium ‘Clarion® Peach’ from Benary+

This is a regal type of geranium that has large blooms with truly mesmerizing shades of peach, pink and white. The uniform, mounding plants were covered by blooms all season long and were a definite show stopper. Other entries in the same Clarion® series were also very impressive with excellent vigor and flowering.